Car retarder



June 3, 1930. V A. VENCILL 1,761,649

I C R RETARDER FiledvApril 25, 1925 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Reduction.gearing 1 kNVENTOR Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEALBERT L. VENGILL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE UN IONSWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA CAR RETARDER Application filed April 25, 1925. Serial No.25,775. A

My inventionrelates to car retarders, that is, to devices located in thetraokway for reducing the speed of railway cars.

I will describe two forms of car retarders ii embodying my invention,and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing one formof car 1 retarder embodying my invention. Fig. 2

is a vertical sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a viewsimilar to Fig.' 3 but showing a modified form of operating mechanismalso embodying my invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theseveral views.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference character 1designates one of the running rails of a railway track, and in Fig. 3 aportion of a car wheel 2 is shown on this rail 1. The car wheel isomitted from Figs. 1 and 2 to simplify the drawings.

Mounted on opposite sides of the track rail 1 are two retarder bars 3and 3 which bars are parallel to the trackway and are so located as toengage with the two opposite side faces'respectively of the car wheel 2.These retarder bars are supported in such manner that they may movetoward and away from the car wheel. As here shown, (see Figs. 1 and 2),each retarder bar is supported by a pair of vertical arms 5, which armsare attached to opposite ends of the retarder bar by bolts 6. The lowerends of the arms 5 of each pair are bent toward each other and arepivotally attached at point 5 to a bracket 7 which is fixed to a 40 tie11 by means of bolts 8. It will be seen, therefore that each bar 3 and 3is free to swing in an arc of a circle around an axis passing throughthe pivotal points 5 and so each bar is movable toward and away from acorresponding side face of the car wheel 2. As here shown, the innerface of each retarding bar 3 and 3 is provided with a wearing plate 4and A, which comes in direct contact with the car wheel 2, and so takesall the friction due to contact between the wheel and the bars. Whenthis plate has become sufliciently worn it can be replaced.

The operating mechanism for the retard- 7 ing bars 3 and 3 comprisestwoarms 9 and 9 the upper ends of which are attached to the bars 3 and 3*,respectively, by bolts 13. These arms 9 and 9 extend downwardly and areattached at their lower ends to ahorizontal rod 16. The arms 9 and 9 arepreferably of highly resilient material, such as spring steel. Thesearms are provided intermediate their ends with means for drawing themtoward each other. As shown in Fig. 3, this means comprises a disk 14pivotally mounted at its center 14. The left-hand arm 9 is connectedwith a point 22 on this disk by a link 15, and a right-hand arm 9 isconnected with a point 22 on the disk 14 by a link 15?- The points 22and 22 are so chosen that whenthe retarder bars 3 and 3 are in theirretracted or 'nonbraking positions, these points occupy substantiallythe positions shown in Fig. 3. It follows that if the disk lt is turnedin clockwise the arms 9 and 9 will be drawn toward each other and so theretarder bars will be drawn into braking position against the oppositeside faces of the car wheel 2. The disk 14 is operatively connected withan electric motor 10 through'the medium of reduction gearing 12.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, is as follows: When themotor 10 is de-energized, the disk 14 "occupies the position in'which itisshown in the drawing, and. so the retarder bars 3 and 3 are inretracted or non-braking positions. When the motor 10 is energized inone direction, the disk 14 is turned in clockwise direction, therebydrawing the arms 9 and 9 toward each other, and so shifting the retarderbars 3 and 3 into braking positions. When the motor 10 is energized inthe opposite direction. thedisk 14 is rotated in counter-clockwisedirection, thereby releasing the arms 9 and 9 and so moving the retarderbars 3 and 3 to non-braking positions.

If desired, springs2l and 21' may be interposed in the links 15 and 15although direction,

these springs may not be necesary in all cases.

Referring now to Fig. 4c, the operating means for the retarder bars 3and 3 comprises two spring steel arms 9 and 9, as in Fig. 8, but themeans for operating these arms 9 and 9 is different. The motor 10operates a gear wheel 17 through the medium of reduction gearing 12, andthis gear wheel 17 is fixed to a screw 18 which passes freely throughsuitable holes in the two arms 9 and 9 The screw 18 is provided withscrew threads 19 which co-act with a nut 20 attached to one bar 9, andthe screw 18 is further provided with screw threads 19 which co-act witha nut 2O fixed to the other arm 9 The screw threads 19 and the threadsin the nut 20 are right-hand threads, whereas the screw threads 19 andthe threads in the nut 20, are left-hand threads. It follows that whenthe motor 10 is operated in one direction, the nuts 20 and 20 and so thearms 9 and 9 are drawn toward each other to move the retarder bars 8 and3 into braking positions, whereas when the motor 10- is operated in theopposite direction the nuts 20 and 20 and so the arms 9 and 9 are spreadapart to move the retarder bars into their retracted or non-brakingpositions.

One function of the spring steel arms 9 and 9 is to avoid the necessityof making each retarder bar 3 and 3 in two sections separated by coiledsprings. One purpose of the structure as a whole, is to simplify theoperation of two retarder bars which are located on opposite sides ofthe car wheel.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of carretarders embodying my invention, it is understood that various changesand modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on oppositesides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached toeach bar, means coacting with said arms at points a considerabledistance from said bars for drawing the arms together, and a rotatingelectric motor for operating said means.

2. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on oppositesides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached toeach bar, a disk, links connecting said disk with said two arms, and anelectric motor for turning said disk.

3. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on oppositesides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached toeach bar, and means co-acting with each arm at a point a considerabledistance from the retarder bar for drawing the arms together and therebycompressing said retarder bars against a car wheel.

at. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars located onopposite sides of a car wheel and mounted for movement toward and awayfrom the wheel, a pair of substantially parallel resilient opera-tingarms the upper ends of which are attached to said two retarder barsrespectively, means for rigidly spacing the lower ends of said arms, andmeans including an electric motor for drawing said arms toward eachother at points intermediate their ends.

5. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars located on oppositesides of a car wheel and mounted for movement toward and away from thewheel, a pair of substantially parallel resilient operating arms theupper ends of which are attached to said two retarder bars respectively,means for rigidly spacing the lower ends of said arms, and meanscoacting with each arm at a point intermediate its endsv for drawing thearms together.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' ALBERT L. VENCILL.

